Systems and methods for automated call-handling and processing

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 based on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/777,243, filed Feb. 28, 2006, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is related to telephone call management, interaction, processing, and routing, and more particularly to a method and system for the interaction with, and processing and routing of telephone calls at a series of locations in an automated and parallel fashion.

BACKGROUND

Companies typically provide telephone “call centers” or “contact centers” as a service to their customers. This is particularly so—though not exclusively so—when the company relies upon personalized service to their customers to generate real revenue, or to generate intangible value for the company, such as customer goodwill. For example, financial institutions, such as insurance companies, banks, mortgage companies, and credit card companies may provide telephone call centers with live operators for day-to-day matters. In addition, cable television companies may provide such centers for pay-per-view or other assistance, and other companies may provide centers for automated purchases, for technical assistance, for power outage assistance, for emergency assistance, for travel reservations, for student registration, for lotteries, for participation in television or radio game shows, etc.

The operation of one call center (including both automated and live capabilities) for the benefit of one company in one industry does not remain static. Changes to a call center involving system upgrades, improvements in call handling, interaction, management, processing, or routing are common. One of the parameters that tends to complicate changes is the “size” of a call center, which, in turn, is generally a function of the number of anticipated calls.

Various technologies can form a part of a call center. For example, an “Automated Attendant” system is conventionally a system that connects to a PBX system, a Centrex system, or an Automatic Call Distributor (“ACD”), accepting incoming calls, providing audible prompts to callers, and accepting input from callers. As the name suggests, an Automated Attendant seeks to automate the functions of a live telephone operator (or “attendant”).

Before the advent of modern call centers, a live switchboard operator would briefly answer calls by asking the caller who they wished to speak to or what department to be connected to. After the caller made his request, the live switchboard operator would route the call to the requested destination and drop off the line. In a similar manner, and with respect to the Automated Attendant systems discussed above, the input that is accepted by an Automated Attendant may be used to provide another prompt to the caller, terminate the call, or it may be used to allow the caller to self-route the call to some destination.

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> depicts an exemplary prior-art Automated Attendant system <b>140</b> connected to PBX <b>155</b>. Automated Attendant system <b>140</b> includes Voice Node <b>144</b>, Control Node <b>142</b>, Database <b>145</b>, and may include Reporting Engine <b>148</b>. As will be discussed in more detail below, Reporting Engine <b>148</b> may be used to write to Call Log <b>150</b> and/or create a string of parameters associated with a particular call.

PBX <b>155</b> is also connected to customer service representative stations (CSR stations) <b>171</b>, <b>172</b>, and <b>179</b>. Each of the CSR stations includes a workstation that may be connected over a Network <b>180</b> to Customer Database <b>190</b>.

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> depicts an exemplary call flow that the hardware in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> may implement. A call from Remote Terminal <b>100</b> may be routed over PSTN <b>110</b> to PBX <b>155</b>. When PBX <b>155</b> receives the call, it initially routes the call over Line <b>162</b> to Automated Attendant system <b>140</b>. One manner in which this is accomplished is by Call Vectoring and Vector Directory Numbers (VDNs), as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,903 to Kohler et al. The chosen VDN corresponds to the connection represented by Line <b>162</b> to Automated Attendant system <b>140</b> and a series of logical decisions carried out by Control Node <b>142</b>. If Automated Attendant system <b>140</b> is integrated in PBX <b>155</b>, then Line <b>162</b> may correspond to an internal bus line.

When Voice Node <b>144</b> receives the call, it may, under the control of Control Node <b>142</b>, provide an audible message or prompt to the caller. In <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>, for example, steps <b>200</b> and <b>205</b> include a general greeting (step <b>200</b>) and a general introduction to certain menu options (step <b>205</b>). Although the next step <b>210</b> is depicted as collecting DTMF data from the caller, Voice Node <b>144</b> may be programmed to continually test or be responsive to incoming DTMF signals, with corresponding responses available under the control of Control Node <b>142</b>.

One of the simplest operations available, however, is to transfer the caller to the appropriate CSR. In <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>, for example, should the caller enter DTMF tone “1” on the remote terminal, Control Node <b>142</b> is programmed to formulate a transfer operation to an agent in CSR group <b>1</b>. This may be accomplished in a variety of ways. For example, if Line <b>162</b> represents an analog POTS line, Voice Node <b>144</b> may generate a “FLASH” signal, and then enter the appropriate command and extension that PBX <b>155</b> recognizes as a command to transfer the instant call to a particular extension. This may be accomplished, again, by VDNs. For example, under the “FLASH” transfer discussed above, Voice Node <b>144</b> may generate DTMF tones to tell PBX <b>155</b> to transfer the call to extension “1234.” Moreover, as with incoming calls, PBX <b>155</b> may be programmed such that requests to reach extension “1234” get mapped to “VDN xx1,” which corresponds in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> to CSR station <b>171</b>. The result is that the call no longer terminates on Automated Attendant system <b>140</b>, but is transferred to an available CSR agent located at VDN xx1. Again, the “FLASH” transfer technique discussed above is only exemplary. If a digital connection is available, the command to pull the call from Automated Attendant system <b>140</b> and send it to VDN xx1 may be made through an out-of-band data connection.

Database <b>145</b>, as depicted in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> contains stored data, such as the audio files associated with the greetings, the prompts, and the messages. Control Node <b>142</b> includes the logic associated with the process of analyzing retrieved data over line <b>162</b> and determining the response Automated Attendant system <b>140</b> should make as a function of the assigned VDN.

As noted above, Reporting Engine <b>148</b> may be used to keep a log associated with the calls that Automated Attendant system <b>140</b> handles. Call Log <b>150</b> typically includes information associated with each call Automated Attendant system <b>140</b> handles, and may be used to index other associated data, such as the CSR group the call is transferred to.

As noted above, an Automated Attendant conventionally has the ability to provide prompts to callers, terminate calls, or allow callers to route the call to some destination. Conventionally, the motivation for the introduction of Automated Attendants was to automate the routing tasks generally performed by a live switchboard operator. Similarly, the traditional use of Automated Attendant systems is not to provide personalized information to callers. Rather, the traditional use of Automated Attendant systems has been to route the callers to a destination at which they can receive the personalized information they desire. In this regard, the most information that may traditionally be provided by an Automated Attendant is information about the telephone circuits themselves, such as the particular telephone extension number that the caller is routed to in a “Dial-by-Name” system.

However, because the operator of the Automated Attendant system may customize the prompt to callers, some Automated Attendant systems provide general information to all callers that call in. For example, an Automated Attendant system may be customized to provide all callers to a business with “Locations and Hours” information, or may be customized by a movie theater to provide movie schedules and costs. The assumption behind this use, however, is that everyone dialing into the telephone number connected to the Automated Attendant system is interested in the same or a similar class of information. While the most requested information may be how to connect to a particular live person that can address the caller's particular issue, it may also be used to provide generally anticipated information as, for example, “Locations and Hours,” movie schedules and costs, etc.

An Automated Attendant system also has the ability to collect data from the caller or from the switch, such as the called number (“DNIS”) or the calling number (“ANI”), or from some other source. U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,562 to Scherer, for example, describes some examples of network data. The Automated Attendant system may be programmed to collect such data in order to populate a computer screen for the agent the call is eventually routed to. The gathering of such data, associating it with a particular call, and using it to populate the computer screen in front of the agent as the call is switched to the agent is generally referred to as Computer Telephony Integration (“CTI”), and the particular operation is generally known as a “screen pop.” <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> depicts an illustration of how such a process may be achieved using the system of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>.

Considering, again, the system of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>, PBX <b>155</b> is connected to CSR stations <b>171</b>, <b>172</b>, and <b>179</b>, which are configured to provide the respective agents with screen pops. Each of the CSR stations includes a workstation that may be connected over a Network <b>180</b> to Customer Database <b>190</b>, and is also connected to CTI Manager <b>160</b>.

Also represented in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> is the use of Data Set <b>146</b> and Data Set <b>147</b> in Database <b>145</b>. Whereas <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> illustrated the possible use of one greeting and set of menu prompts, and responses, <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> depicts the availability of at least two separate sets of greetings, menu prompts, and responses, each associated with a particular DNIS/VDN that Automated Attendant system <b>140</b> receives from PBX <b>155</b> or from a switch. For example, Data Set <b>146</b> is depicted as associated with VDN yy2, and Data Set <b>147</b> is depicted as associated with VDN yy1. Again, the illustration is exemplary only. While the greetings, prompts, and messages are depicted as separately stored, the two data sets may equally include data that is common to both, such as a routine message: “please stay on the line while your call is transferred.”

The DNIS that PBX <b>155</b> associates with VDN yy1 may be derived from one published number, and the DNIS that PBX <b>155</b> associates with VDN yy2 may be derived from another published number. Moreover, the first number may be published for callers to make purchases, while the other number may be published for callers to make service calls. In this sense, the same Automated Attendant system <b>140</b> is configured to handle both sets of calls, and Control Node <b>142</b> is simply programmed, based upon the DNIS\VDN number, to pull the appropriate data from Database <b>145</b>, and make the appropriate call flow decisions.

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> depicts a process of a screen pop by the system of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. The numbers “<b>1</b>,” “<b>2</b>,” “<b>3</b>,” “<b>4</b>,” etc. in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> indicate the order in which the process may be executed. As before, a call from Remote Terminal <b>100</b> may be routed over PSTN <b>110</b> to PBX <b>155</b>. When PBX <b>155</b> receives the call, it may be programmed to connect the call initially over Line <b>162</b> to Automated Attendant system <b>140</b> using VDN yy1.

When Voice Node <b>144</b> receives the call with the associated VDN number, it may, under the control of Control Node <b>142</b>, provide an audible message or prompt to the caller, and Reporting Engine <b>148</b> may write to Call Log <b>150</b>. In <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>, this process is indicated by the lines labeled “<b>1</b>-<b>6</b>” flowing from PBX <b>155</b> to Telephony Server <b>310</b> contained within Automated Attendant system <b>140</b>, between Telephony Server <b>310</b> and Call Process Engine <b>320</b>, between Call Process Engine <b>320</b> and Reporting Engine <b>148</b>, and between Reporting Engine <b>148</b> and Call Log <b>150</b>. In <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>, one skilled in the art should appreciate that Telephony Server <b>310</b> and Call Process Engine <b>320</b> represent functional modules. Such modules are depicted in this manner merely to schematically isolate functions that are performed by the combination, depicted in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>, of Voice Node <b>144</b>, Control Node <b>142</b>, and Database <b>145</b> in Automated Attendant system <b>140</b>. Such processes and functions, as indicated above, may include a general greeting, a general introduction to certain menu options, the capture of a DTMF signal, and the determination as to what extension (or VDN) PBX <b>155</b> should route the call to.

If the system of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>, based upon the internal vectoring logic, determines that a call should be routed to an available CSR agent associated with a VDN (such as at CSR station <b>171</b>), then Reporting Engine <b>148</b> generates CTI_id <b>152</b>, and Call Process Engine <b>320</b> instructs Telephony Server <b>310</b> to send the appropriate command to PBX <b>155</b> to route both the call to the VDN, as well as a data value containing the CTI_id <b>152</b>, such as “zz4.” CSR station <b>171</b> then receives the transferred call and the CTI_id data (either in-band or out-of-band). The arrow labeled “<b>7</b>” depicts this. The CT_id, then, may be transmitted to Web Browser (or Thick Client) <b>384</b> (which is residing on the workstation located at CSR Station <b>171</b>) in the process arrow “<b>8</b>.” Web Browser (or Thick Client) <b>384</b> then may be programmed to generate a URL including the CTI_id in a request to CTI Manager <b>160</b> in order to retrieve any other data associated with the call and located in Call Log <b>150</b> (process arrows <b>9</b>-<b>12</b>). Such additional information then may be sent back to Web Browser (or Thick Client) <b>384</b>, which may include information (such as ANI information) identifying who the caller is. With this information, the web browser (or thick client) may be programmed to generate a request for customer data that accesses the Customer Database <b>190</b> and retrieve the appropriate customer information (process arrows <b>13</b> and <b>14</b>). In this way, as the CSR agent is preparing to speak with the caller on the line, the CSR agent's computer screen may be already populated with the appropriate information, as well as having pulled the customer's data record from the customer database. U.S. Pat. No. 6,934,381 to Klein et al., for example, discloses a system for routing calls to CSRs based upon how the customer contact was received (i.e., Voice over PSTN, e-mail, text chat, VOIP, etc.)

As indicated above, a live customer service representative at a call center generally provides personalized service for callers. Even this function, however, has been found over time to involve responses to similar or redundant requests. For example, while many customers dialing into a bank may want to know the bank's location and hours, many more customers dialing into a bank generally want to know what their current balance is. In this regard, however, while “location and hours” information will apply to all callers dialing into a system, a callers' current balance will, by definition, not apply to all callers, but be personal to the particular caller dialing in.

In order to automate such redundant personalized customer requests, Interactive Voice Response systems (“IVRs”) were developed. IVRs may be generally thought of as a computer with an audio-based interface. Traditionally, an IVR system will provide the caller with audible prompts, and accept DTMF input in response to the prompts. IVRs may be distinguished from Automated Attendant systems, however, in that they are configured to particularly respond to a caller's request for personalized information. This, generally, will involve access to a database of information that is personalized to the caller, and the ability to convert both the caller's personalized input into a request that is understandable by the database software, as well as the ability to convert the information retrieved from the database into an audible signal that will be understood by the caller. <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 4 and 5</figref> depict an exemplary system using an IVR as well as an exemplary call flow depicting information that is typically requested using an IVR.

For example, many customers dialing into a bank will want to know their current balance. As before, a call from Remote Terminal <b>100</b> may be routed over PSTN <b>110</b> to PBX <b>155</b>. For example, a user at Remote Terminal <b>100</b> may have dialed “1-555-ACME SIX.” When PBX <b>155</b> receives the call, it may be programmed to connect the call initially over Line <b>162</b> to Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) <b>445</b>, which may further be programmed to connect the call to IVR <b>440</b>. Although ACD <b>445</b> is depicted as connected to IVR <b>440</b>, and the CSR stations <b>471</b>, <b>472</b>, and <b>479</b> are depicted as connected to PBX <b>155</b>, ACD <b>445</b> may also be directly connected to IVR <b>440</b> and CSR stations <b>471</b>, <b>472</b>, and <b>479</b>.

When Voice Node <b>444</b> receives the call, it may, under the control of Control Node <b>442</b>, provide an audible message or prompt to the caller. In <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref>, steps <b>505</b> and <b>510</b> indicate this process. In response to caller input, illustrated at step <b>515</b>, another prompt is given in step <b>520</b> “Please enter account number and PIN.” In response to further input, IVR <b>440</b>, as illustrated in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref>, may be connected to access Customer Database <b>190</b> in order to retrieve information that is personal to the caller—such as account balance. Thereafter, as depicted by step <b>530</b> in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref>, IVR <b>440</b> is programmed to create an audible message to the caller reciting the balance on record.

While a live bank teller can respond to a customer's request and tell the customer his current balance over the phone, an IVR system, as illustrated above, can automate such a task. For example, an IVR system might prompt the caller to enter his account number and some identifying information for security purposes (such as a pass code), to access a database and convert the retrieved information into an audible sentence that can be sent to the caller over the telephone line. For personalized services the IVR cannot accommodate, the system may route a caller to a live customer service representative.

A call center that anticipates many phone calls and that relies on IVRs to handle redundant personalized requests will generally require many duplicated IVR systems and many live customer service representatives in order to handle all the anticipated call volume. In such large-scale environments, call center managers will generally be concerned about certain indicia of efficient resource allocation. For example, the salary of live customer service representatives represents one of the larger overhead costs associated with call centers. Consequently, for efficient resource allocation, there is pressure to reduce this cost, such as maintaining fewer live customer service representatives, and automating as many tasks as possible through IVRs and Automated Attendants. In this regard, an indicator of the efficient use of live customer service representatives is the ratio of the number of customers that get the information they desire from the IVR system to the number of customers routed to live customer service representatives in order to get the personalized information they might be after. Another indicator, of course, is the average amount of time that a caller wishing to speak to a representative spends on hold.

While the average amount of time that a caller wishing to speak to a representative spends on hold will be affected by the number of live customer service representatives available, it is also affected in large measure by how “caller-friendly” the call flow is. For example, if a call flow is too confusing or requires too many DTMF entries to arrive at a frequently requested option, many callers will simply “zero-out” to speak to a live customer service representative. This decreases the ratio of callers that end the call within the IVR, and increasing the “hold time” as well as the number of live customer service representatives that would be necessary to decrease that time. Moreover, if it is easy for callers to take their business elsewhere, and a competitor happens to provides more caller-friendly service, then an unfriendly call-flow can also result in the loss of business.

Because of the importance that small adjustments to call flow can make in efficient and friendly customer experience, and because the personalized service that each business or situation offers is often unique to that business or situation, there is often a need to continually adjust call flow parameters to achieve an efficient and friendly customer-service experience.

For this reason, Automated Attendant systems connected or integrated in PBXs may be configured to provide reporting information to the call center manager to give the call center manager an idea of the progress of calls through the Automated Attendant system. This reporting information may consist of a sessionid, which is a unique identifier assigned to each call handled by the Automated Attendant system, as well as information that reflects the caller's progress through the call flow. Based upon a review of the caller's progress through a call flow, a call center manager may wish to make a slight adjustment to the call flow to more efficiently manage incoming calls.

Especially in businesses which anticipate a large number of callers with a large number of personalized requests, such minor adjustments to call flow can have the largest impact, and the need to continually tailor the call flow in reaction to system upgrades, improvements in call handling, interaction, management, processing, or routing is perhaps greatest. It is in exactly this scenario, however, where a call center manager encounters the problems associated with adjusting a large number of IVR systems operating in parallel. Such changes incur their own cost on the system and on the customer experience. It is often necessary to stage such overall changes to the IVR systems, anticipating that some systems will go down as a result for unforeseen reasons. All of this, again, can simply result in more callers getting disconnected, put on hold, etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and do not restrict the claimed invention.

A system for managing multiple telephone calls consistent with one aspect of the invention comprises an automated attendant apparatus for receiving a call from a user; a plurality of rules for amending a session record associated with the call to reflect a plurality of instructed actions; and an interpreter for evaluating an amended session record to derive one of the plurality of instructed actions, where the automated attendant apparatus is configured to implement the derived action.

A method for managing multiple telephone calls consistently comprises receiving a plurality of calls from users on a plurality of automated attendant apparatus; sending a plurality of session values associated with the plurality of calls to a controller over a network; amending one of the plurality of session values according to one of a plurality of rules under the control of the controller to reflect a corresponding instructed action; evaluating an amended session record to derive an instructed action; and implementing at least one of the plurality of instructed actions under the control of one of the plurality of automated attendant apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> depicts a prior-art Automated Attendant system;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> depicts a call flow that may be implemented by the system of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> depicts a process flow that may be implemented by the system of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> depicts an exemplary prior-art IVR system;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> depicts a call flow that may be implemented by the system of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref>;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> depicts a system consistent with one aspect of the present invention;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> depicts a process flow consistent with one aspect of the present invention;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref> depicts a sequence of steps that the system of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> may perform consistent with the present invention;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref> depicts another process flow that may be realized by the system of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref>;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref> depicts an exemplary Call Log Detail Table consistent with one aspect of the invention;

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 11</figref> depicts an exemplary Call Log Master Table consistent with one aspect of the invention; and

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 12</figref> depicts a Call Flow Detail Table consistent with one aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers throughout the drawings refer to the same or like parts.

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> is a diagram of a system consistent with one aspect of the present invention. A Remote Terminal <b>100</b> is connected through PSTN <b>110</b> to PBX <b>155</b>. Any switch that provides the functionality of PBX <b>155</b> may be used, however. For example, PBX <b>155</b> may include the S8500/S8700 Media Server from AVAYA.

PBX <b>155</b> is connected to CSR stations <b>671</b>, <b>672</b>, and <b>679</b> through lines <b>165</b>. In a preferred embodiment, lines <b>165</b> correspond to IP or digital connections.

Although depicted as connected over line <b>162</b>, the voice and processing functionality of Automated Attendant system <b>640</b> may be embodied or integrated within PBX <b>155</b>, such as is the case with the S8500/S8700 Media Server from AVAYA.

Voice Node <b>644</b> and Control Node <b>642</b> are connected to database <b>645</b>, which includes the prompts, messages, and other information. As with Database <b>145</b> (<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>), Database <b>645</b> in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> includes subsets of data associated with particular VDNs. For example, a call accessing PBX <b>155</b> over PSTN <b>110</b> using the number 1-555-SAMPLE1 may have an associated DNIS that is mapped onto DNIS/VDN yy1, and the greeting heard by the caller may be pulled from Data Set <b>641</b> by Control Node <b>642</b> and Voice Node <b>644</b>. Likewise, a call accessing PBX <b>155</b> over PSTN <b>110</b> using the number 1-555-SAMPLE2 may have an associated DNIS that is mapped onto DNIS/VDN yy2, and the greeting heard by the caller in this instance may be pulled from Data Set <b>643</b> by Control Node <b>642</b> and Voice Node <b>644</b>. In addition to assigning different data sets to different DNIS/VDNs, Database <b>645</b> includes data sets corresponding to particular menu choices (“menu VDNs”), and Control Node <b>642</b> includes Session Interpreter <b>646</b>, both of which will be described in more detail below.

Furthermore, Automated Attendant system <b>640</b> is connected to Rules-Based Session Engine <b>652</b> and Control Node <b>656</b> over Network <b>651</b> Network <b>653</b>, in a preferred embodiment, will be an IP network that may use a communication device or layer (e.g. CVLAN) running, for example, on a Linux server.

Rules-Based Session Engine <b>652</b> and Control Node <b>656</b> may also include an Advanced Segmentation product from AVAYA. One type of rules-based system connected to a PBX is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,292,550 to Burritt, assigned on its face to AVAYA. Consistent with one aspect of the present invention, Rules-Based Session Engine <b>653</b> and Control Node <b>656</b> access Relational Database Set <b>650</b> and may also be configured to access Customer Database <b>190</b>. Relational Database Set <b>650</b> may include data sets that are updated during the course of a caller's interaction with the system of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref>, as well as data sets that define the rules under which Rules-based Session Engine <b>652</b> and Control Node <b>656</b> operate.

As before, CTI Manager <b>660</b> may be configured to operate in conjunction with CSR Stations <b>671</b>, <b>672</b>, and <b>679</b> to access Customer Database <b>190</b>, as well as pull relevant information from Relational Database Set <b>650</b>.

In one aspect of the invention, Relational Database Set <b>650</b> may include Call Log Detail Table <b>1001</b>, Call Log Master Table <b>1101</b>, and Call Flow Detail Table <b>1201</b>. Examples of Call Log Detail Table <b>1001</b>, Call Log Master Table <b>1101</b>, and Call Flow Detail Table <b>1201</b> are depicted, respectively, in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 10</figref>, <b>11</b>, and <b>12</b>, and described in more detail below.

<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> depicts an exemplary process that the system in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> can follow consistent with one aspect of the present invention. The numbers “<b>1</b>,” “<b>2</b>,” “<b>3</b>,” “<b>4</b>,” etc. in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> indicate the order in which the exemplary process may be executed.

As before, with reference to <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref>, a call from Remote Terminal <b>100</b> may be routed over PSTN <b>110</b> to PBX <b>155</b>. For example, a user at Remote Terminal <b>100</b> may have dialed “1-555-SAMPLE2.” When PBX <b>155</b> receives the call, it may be programmed to connect the call initially over Line <b>162</b> to Automated Attendant system <b>640</b> and may map the call to VDN yy2.

With reference to <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> again, when Voice Node <b>644</b> receives the call with the associated VDN number, it may, under the control of Control Node <b>642</b>, provide an audible message or prompt to the caller. Consistent with one aspect of the invention, however, control of the call flow is subsequently handed off to the Rules-based session engine <b>652</b> and Control node <b>656</b>, which are external to Automated Attendant System <b>640</b> over network <b>653</b>. To manage the call over network <b>653</b>, a unique identifier is created and stored in a session record stored in Relational Database Set <b>650</b>. This unique identifier is subsequently used to refer and keep track of the call as control is handed off between Control Node <b>642</b> within Automated Attendant System <b>640</b>, and Control Node <b>656</b> external to Automated Attendant System <b>640</b>.

The process described above in which a user dials “1-555-SAMPLE2,” and a unique identifier, written to Relational Database Set <b>650</b>, is tracked is also represented in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref>, by the lines labeled “<b>1</b>-<b>7</b>” flowing from PBX <b>155</b> to Telephony Server <b>710</b> contained within Automated Attendant system <b>640</b>, between Telephony Server <b>710</b> and Call Process Engine <b>720</b>, between Call Process Engine <b>720</b> and Rules-Based Session Engine and Control Node <b>752</b>, and between Rules-Based Session Engine and Control Node <b>752</b> and Relational Database Set <b>650</b>. In <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref>, one skilled in the art should appreciate that Telephony Server <b>710</b> and Call Process Engine <b>720</b> represent functional modules. Such modules are depicted in this manner merely to schematically isolate functions that are performed by the combination, depicted in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref>, of Voice Node <b>644</b>, Control Node <b>642</b>, and Database <b>645</b> in Automated Attendant system <b>640</b>. Such processes and functions may include a general greeting and a general introduction to certain menu options, the capture of a DTMF signal, the determination as to what extension (or VDN) PBX <b>155</b> should route the call to, etc., based upon internal vectoring logic.

An exemplary process consistent with one aspect of the invention is further illustrated in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref>, such as the capture of the caller DNIS and ANI information and the creation of a unique identifier external to Automated Attendant System <b>640</b> (step <b>812</b>).

Specifically, step <b>800</b> depicts a call being received by Automated Attendant System <b>640</b>, and, based on the DNIS received from PSTN <b>110</b>, a “VDN(DNIS)” is assigned (step <b>803</b>). For example VDN (DNIS) may be assigned the value “yy1.” Automated Attendant System <b>640</b>, through Control Node <b>642</b>, retrieves the greeting associated with VDN (DNIS) “yy1” (step <b>806</b>), and plays it to the caller “Welcome to Acme Bank” (step <b>809</b>).

Consistent with one aspect of the invention, the VDN yy1 routes to a vector that makes an adjunct route request outside of Automated. Attendant System <b>640</b> to Rules-based session engine and Control node <b>752</b>, which requests the creation of a session record for tracking the call and a unique identifier. One skilled in the art should appreciate, for example, that the session record may include a primary key correlated with a unique identifier that is used to reference the call throughout the systems. For example, the session record may contain Time and Date statistics, an IP Address, port identification, unique call identifiers, DNIS, ANI, and values captured based on the users' input selections. An example of such a record is an Electronic Data Unit (EDU) as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,934,381 to Klein et al, and assigned on its face to Avaya Technology Corp. Each EDU record (or format) has an associated unique identifier (“eduid”), which may be formed by the concatenation of the UNIX time the EDU record was created (in hexadecimal format) with other unique identification, i.e: 424074b9000000000a3c350e23300002. When called by its EDUid, the EDU record (or format) may contain much of the information referred to above, such as: Time and Date statistics, an IP Address, port identification, unique call identifiers, DNIS, ANI, values captured based on the users' input selections, etc.

The creation of a session record (EDU and EDUid) is depicted in step <b>812</b>. In addition, the Rules-based session engine and Control node <b>752</b> are notified that a new call has arrived.

The Rules-based session engine and Control node <b>752</b> access Call Flow Detail Table <b>1201</b> in Relational Database Set <b>650</b>. An exemplary Call Flow Detail Table <b>1201</b> is depicted in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 12</figref>. Based upon the VDN (DNIS) <b>1030</b> (such as “yy1”), the last VDN utilized (VDN (monitor) <b>1040</b> in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 12</figref>), and the last selected menu option (menu option <b>1050</b> in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 12</figref>), a destination VDN is assigned (VDN (dest.) <b>1060</b> in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 12</figref>).

In <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 12</figref>, for example, and following the example illustrated in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref>, a situation where the VDN (DNIS) <b>1030</b> is “yy1,” where the last VDN utilized (VDN (monitor) <b>1040</b>) is also “yy1,” and where there has been no menu selection yet (menu option <b>1050</b>=“999”), Call Flow Detail Table <b>1201</b> returns a VDN (dest.) <b>1060</b> of “xy5.”

The destination VDN “xy5” is then written to the session record contained in Call Log Detail Table <b>1001</b>, shown in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref> after step <b>818</b>, and also depicted in more detail in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref>. Call Flow Detail Table <b>1001</b> includes, among other information, EDUid <b>1070</b>. Consequently, Call Flow Detail Table <b>1001</b> may be later analyzed to determine the exact sequence that the call associated with EDU_id “xx456,” for example, took as the caller interacted with the system of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref>.

The destination VDN (VDN (dest) <b>1060</b>) is delivered to Automated Attendant System <b>640</b>, to access a vector and present the appropriate menu options to the caller. According to the example illustrated in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref>, the destination VDN associated with “xy5” presents a prompt to select English (“1”) or Spanish (“2”) (step <b>830</b>). Again, consistent with one aspect of the invention, the destination VDN (VDN (dest) <b>1060</b>) makes an adjunct route request outside of Automated Attendant System <b>640</b> to Rules-based session engine and Control node <b>752</b>, beginning yet another cycle between Automated Attendant System <b>640</b>, Rules-based session engine and Control node <b>752</b>, and Relational Database Set <b>650</b>. As depicted following step <b>836</b>, the VDN (DNIS) <b>1030</b> is still “yy1,” the VDN (monitor) <b>1040</b>, however, is now “xy5,” and menu option <b>1060</b> is “1” (for English).

Based upon Call Flow Detail Table <b>1201</b>, such values return a destination VDN (VDN (dest) <b>1060</b>) of “xy8.” A new session record is written to Call Log Detail <b>1001</b> (with segment_id <b>1020</b>, for example, incrementing to “2”), and destination VDN “xy8” is returned to Automated Attendant System <b>640</b>.

In this way, each transaction identified by the EDU_id <b>1070</b>, VDN (DNIS) <b>1030</b>, VDN (monitor) <b>1040</b>, menu option <b>1050</b>, etc. is logged into Call Log Detail Table <b>1001</b> as an individual transaction.

The process described above repeats until the call is either terminated or the last VDN describes the final exit point in the call flow detail. Call Log Master Table <b>1101</b> may be populated at the end of the call when the call is transferred from Automated Attendant System <b>640</b> to another site.

For exemplary purposes only, <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref> depicts several individual transactions logged, and involving at least two separate EDU_id <b>1070</b> values “xx456” and “xx378.” As just indicated, Call Log Detail Table <b>1001</b> may be analyzed after the call is transferred out of the Automated Attendant System <b>640</b> to produce a table such as the Call Log Master Table <b>1101</b>, depicted in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 11</figref>.

In Call Log Master Table <b>1101</b>, one may include as much or as little of the information about a call identified by EDU_id <b>1070</b> as one likes. For exemplary purposes only, the table depicted in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 11</figref> includes ANI, DNIS, the last VDN associated with the call before it exited the system, as well as all of the menu options selected by the caller, in sequence. Such a record, for example, may be accessed by CTI manager <b>660</b> if the call is transferred to a CSR station so that the representative is able to view the callers precise journey though the automated system.

In another embodiment of the invention, Rules-based session engine and Control node <b>752</b> are configured to access customer database <b>190</b> as part of the rules associated with determining the call flow. In this way, Automated Attendant System <b>640</b> may be configured to respond more like an IVR by providing particular information that may be personal to a caller. For example, a caller may be prompted to enter “PIN” data, which may then be passed as a “menu option” string to the Rules-based session engine and Control node <b>752</b>, and which then may be easily validated against information stored in customer database <b>190</b>. In the above embodiment, certain confidential or protected information is exchanged between Automated Attendant system <b>640</b> and Rules-Based Session Engine <b>652</b> and Control Node <b>656</b>. Consequently, in practice, it may be useful, but not necessary, to include some form of encryption of this data over network <b>653</b>. This may be realized, for example, through the use of public key cryptography, or some other robust encryption scheme that may be implemented, for example, in Session Interpreter <b>646</b> and Control Node <b>656</b>, or otherwise.

In another embodiment of the present invention, Session Interpreter <b>646</b> may be configured to provide special handling with certain VDN (dest.) <b>1060</b> values that may be delivered. In this regard, Session Intepreter <b>646</b> is capable of implementing particular functions based upon the workflow design, thereby enabling a plurality of VDN values in the PBX. This is illustrated in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> by the process line <b>5</b> running from Rules-Based Session Engine and Control Node <b>752</b> to Session Interpreter <b>646</b>, contained within Call Process Engine <b>720</b>. Referring to <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref>, Session Interpreter <b>646</b> interprets the amended session record in order that Control Node <b>642</b> and Voice Node <b>644</b> perform the steps dictated by Rules-Based Session Engine <b>652</b> and Control Node <b>656</b>, as well as access the appropriate data from Database <b>645</b>.

The remainder of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> includes the process flows that may be associated with an ultimate transfer of the call to a CSR station, illustrated in process flow steps <b>15</b>-<b>22</b>. In addition to using an Automated Attendant system to provide efficient call management in one embodiment, or personalized information, such as would be given by an IVR in another embodiment, one skilled in the art should appreciate that the system of the present invention allows for a seamless update or change of call process flow logic through an update of Rules-Based Session Engine <b>652</b> and Control Node <b>656</b>. For example, instead of having to update several independent IVR systems, systems and methods consistent with the present invention allow voice response systems to be updated simply through a modification of Call Flow Detail Table <b>1201</b>, an exemplary illustration of which is depicted in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 12</figref>. Call Flow Detail Table <b>1201</b> may be located remote from Automated Attendant systems <b>640</b>, but an update or modification of Call Flow Detail Table <b>1201</b> is all that is required to update a plurality of remotely located Automated Attendant systems <b>640</b>.

Moreover, as illustrated in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref>, a system consistent with the present invention allows for the parallel and asynchronous processing of calls by parallel instances of Rules-based session engine and Control node <b>953</b> and <b>954</b>. With the improvement in processing architecture, many more calls may be processed simultaneously by Rules-based session engine, than may be conventionally processed by a series of parallel IVR systems. Multiple simultaneous IP requests consume less physical resources to process any given amount of calls vs. the traditional 1 call to 1 port IVR system.

CONCLUSION

The foregoing description of an implementation of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. One skilled in the art should appreciate from the foregoing description that modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing of the invention. For example, the steps associated with the present invention may be implemented as a combination of hardware and software or in hardware alone. Accordingly, the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but instead is defined by the appended claims.